Friday, September 30, 2016

There was a time when you had to go get your digital camera in
order to take a picture. Cellphone cameras have changed that, but that doesn’t
mean that the convenience of having a camera built-in makes the pictures being
shot better. By definition a cellphone’s camera is more prone to shaking —
resulting in significant or subtle blurring — due to the phone’s vertical
design and having to press at a touchscreen “button”.And let’s not forget that frequent use of the
cell phone camera can be a drain on the battery and storage space as well. But
rather than dwell on the many disadvantages of using a cell phone camera, lets
instead look at the many advantages found in using a digital camera instead.

The Image Sensor and Resolution

A digital
camera’s image sensor “sees” what is being aimed at and translates
that into a digital file (i.e., image). The resolution of this final image is a
factor of the sensor’s physical size and innate abilities: affecting how colors
and detail is captured and displayed when the image is viewed. This makes it
possible for the digital camera’s sensor to be of superior quality and for the
digital file to be physically large in size; resulting in a better image.

The Camera Lens

Digital cameras often come with interchangeable lenses (mimicking
the good old days of film cameras) and so offer the options of changing the
“view” that is shot (for example, the all-encompassing fisheye lens or a
telephoto). This allows the one shooting to best suit the lens for the type of
image being photographed. A digital
camera’s lens can also come with varying F/stops which affect the
amount of light entering the camera. This variability in F/stop capabilities
affects depth of field and also works at ensuring that the image doesn’t suffer
from being too dark (masking detail) and so unacceptable.

In the case of those digital
cameras with fixed lenses (being variable zooms going from wide
angle to telephoto), another positive factor results from the optical zoom
capabilities. Optical zoom means that the lens is able to focus “closer” on a
far off distance without degrading the quality of the final image (that’s why
you see terms such as “3X optical zoom” or “5X” etc.). Cell phone camera’s
offer poor optical zoom and rely on digital zoom which, while sounding
impressive at 8X or even higher multipliers, ends up degrading the image being
shot. Digital zoom affects the overall focus, contrast levels and detail. This
is far less likely to happen with digital cameras, as they area able to higher
numbers of the more desirable optical zoom.

The Camera Controls

Digital
cameras, like that of a cell phone camera, offer automated features
such as focusing the image. But a digital camera also offers manual control
over the entire image, from adjusting the color based on light sources or how
fast the shutter “speed” is to altering the image through built-in filtration
options. It’s also easier to hold and shoot a camera because it’s designed to
do just that — in the case of a cell phone camera, all the controls had to be
integrated so as to not cause issues when using the phone (as example, the lack
of a “hard” camera button in leu
of a software one).

Today’s digital
cameras give the best of both worlds: they provide the digital
technologies that let you just aim and shoot with precision, while also
allowing manual control and creativity over how the picture will end up
looking. When it comes to shooting for fun or to capture important memories
like family events, a digital camera will always excel.